Custom titanium alloy for 3-d printing and method of making same

Abstract

A Ti-6A1-4V titanium powder alloy composition having enhanced strength resulting from the addition of one or more of the following elements without requiring an increase in oxygen content:AluminumIronNitrogenCarbonThe composition may also be used for Ti-6A1-4V titanium alloy starting bar stock.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present application claims the priority of Provisional Application No. 62 / 338,018 filed on May 18, 2016 and entitled “CUSTOM TITANIUM ALLOY FOR 3-D PRINTING”.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONI. Field of the Invention[0002]3-D printing technology has advanced into mainstream manufacturing for polymer based material systems and has caused a revolution in computer based manufacturing. Polymers based 3-D manufacturing maturation started with basic printing technology and existing polymer formulations. As it matured, the technology and polymer formulations evolved synergistically to deliver desired performance. Metals based 3-D printing is less mature but is beginning to follow a rapid growth curve. The metals printing technologies have narrowed primarily to powder-bed printing systems based on electron-beam, and laser direct melt and binder-jet technologies. Due to being in the early stages of maturation, little has been done to customize alloy...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent is about a specific alloy called Ti-6A1-4V Grade 5. The text explains that oxygen is typically used to strengthen this alloy because it is easy to add and has the greatest effect on strength. Other elements that can also strengthen the alloy include aluminum, iron, nitrogen, and carbon, each with a positive effect on strength. These elements are not significantly affected by the 3-D printing process, and a combination of these elements can achieve the same strength as adding oxygen.

Problems solved by technology

The primary cost driver for all three primary 3-D manufacturing methods for titanium parts is the cost of titanium powder.

Of the three primary 3-D printing methods applied to titanium alloys, the direct melt technologies based on electron-beam and laser melting represent the majority of titanium part manufacture but the excess titanium powder suffers from oxygen pickup each cycle through the process.